Origins
by Mateem Bluewing
Summary: Three siblings, with no home to return to, travel across the world, hoping to start anew. However, their efforts are to be violently thwarted as they encounter a certain mage in ancient China.
1. Travelers

A/N:I just want to start out saying that I'm not a Clow-hater. I have a crush on him, in fact.  
  
^_^;;  
  
This just started out as a weird idea that slowly developed into a pretty decent plotline that  
  
I've never seen anyone else do, at least not this extensively. Now, on with this vestige of my  
  
insanity! ^_^  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own CCS . . . perhaps I will after I win the lottery. ~_~  
  
  
  
Three winged figures stretched out against the afternoon sky. Two dodged, streaked, shot  
  
forward, anything to get ahead of each other. The third simply followed behind with a look of  
  
strained patience on his face.  
  
  
  
"ITTAI!!! Cerberus, quit cheating!"  
  
  
  
"You should be one to talk! My poor tail..."  
  
  
  
"THAT'S NOTHING COMPARED TO MY HAIR!!!"  
  
  
  
"Yes, it is! It huuuurrrttts!"  
  
  
  
"That's because you're a wimp!"  
  
  
  
"AM NOT!!! "  
  
  
  
"ARE TOO!"  
  
  
  
"AM NOT, TONARGI!!!"  
  
  
  
"AM TOO, LEON ESTUPIDO!"  
  
  
  
"CUT IT! Both of you! We'll never reach the shore by nightfall if you keep on arguing like this.  
  
Your pointless little races are doing nothing for us, either."  
  
  
  
"Aww, come on, Yue! Live for once!"  
  
  
  
"I AM living Temichica, thank you very much."  
  
  
  
"Quit pretending to be stupid, Yue. You know what Temi-chan means."  
  
  
  
"Says the one who can't even tell east from west."  
  
  
  
"THAT WAS ON A CLOUDY DAY!!!"  
  
  
  
Temichica took the opportunity to slip away while her brothers got into an all too familiar  
  
argument. She swooped down over the lake and stared at her own reflection in the water.  
  
Wild, blonde hair billowed out behind her, crowned by spikes of blue hair on her head, which  
  
were settled in-between her two catlike ears with three colored gems going along the side,  
  
and gold rings on her ear tips. Two massive, sky blue wings and a long tail provided a  
  
backdrop to her soaring figure.  
  
  
  
Studying the water, she finally found what she was searching for. Circling back to her  
  
newfound treasure, she dove down and snatched it out of the water and started upwards to  
  
where Yue and Cerberus were still arguing. Tactfully positioning herself over them, she gave  
  
the algae a mighty squeeze, giving them both a liberal dousing in the green water that leaked  
  
out of it.  
  
  
  
"AAAAAGGGGGHHHH!!!!!! TEMI-CHAN!!!"  
  
  
  
"Temichica, you are dead meat flying!"  
  
  
  
Three winged figures stretched against the late afternoon sky. One giggling insanely in the  
  
lead, the other two in pursuit, roaring in rage. A lone being stood at the lake's edge, watching  
  
the group streak off eastward.  
  
  
  
"Perfect." he murmured, a cruel smile crossing his lips.  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
"So much for reaching the shore by nightfall," sighed Cerberus.  
  
  
  
"Well, I did try to speed things up."  
  
  
  
"Too bad your sense of direction couldn't get you out of a barley sack."  
  
  
  
"I'd hurt you for that, but I'm too tired."  
  
  
  
"Really? Well, I might as well continue with my latest line of insults-"  
  
  
  
"Don't push it, Cerberus."  
  
  
  
After a wild chase after Temichica, the group had exhausted themselves and landed in an  
  
outcrop of rocks. Yue had gone off to find firewood, leaving Temichica and Cerberus as they  
  
watched the sunset.  
  
  
  
Yue heard them exchanging their remarks in the distance and sighed. It seemed great wonder  
  
that they all managed to stay together and retain their sanity, particularly his. Orphaned at a  
  
young age, Yue had always careful to watch over his younger siblings, trying to do the job his  
  
parents were no longer around to perform.  
  
  
  
They all never stayed in one place for long, but they still considered what the locals called it,  
  
The New World, their home, which was to be the eventual destination of this journey. All they  
  
had to do was reach the shore and make one extremely long trek across the ocean. He felt  
  
his heart lift a little at being amongst the towering peaks and icy glaciers at home.  
  
  
  
Yue bent down to pick up another piece of wood, glanced up and froze.  
  
  
  
A/N: Am I evil? Yes I am. :p  
  
Glossary-  
  
Tonargi- porcupine  
  
Leon estupido- stupid lion 


	2. First Impression

A/N: It certainly says something when you've taken enough of your sweet time to write a story that the beginning is a completely different style then your current one, ne? ^-^; Rewritten for the muse's pleasure, here's chapter two!

*~*~*~*~*

Unnoticed by the three, a piece of civilization dotted the land by the lake, a mansion, stately and seemingly well kempt. However, it was known to all that lived in that area that it was abandoned… and most likely haunted. Little did anyone know that what truly inhabited was something even darker and more harmful.

Power. Being feared. Control. These were the primal desires that motivated him. To vigorously study all of the known forms of magic in the world, to create a new type of magic, to formulate a plan that would destroy many… and leave them only half dead. 

He had already perfected the technique of trapping souls in objects, cards being his primal choice. They were all the souls of beasts so far, the easiest to overwhelm. After their capture, his magic warped them, bringing out their strongest and most useful traits: Speed, leaping, and flying. 

He would not stop at this, though. No, he still had much farther to go, using the human intelligence and turning it to the use of magic. However, a single matter still needed to be attended to in order to make the plan complete, perfect. Any army needed second-in-commands, those who were more intelligent, more powerful, superior to the masses. He couldn't manipulate mediocre creatures into these potent servants; they would need to be magical to begin with.  

The magical creatures of this realm were fading, running away or becoming dormant with mankind's spread across the world with all of their noise and destructive ways. Only a few were brazen enough to show their faces occasionally, most commonly trolls and dragons. Trolls were ugly, and none too intelligent either. The dragons were long gone, east and west, very suddenly, it seemed to the mage, and had often speculated what caused the sudden extinction. 

Then there were, of course, the creatures of the New World. He had often heard the fantastic stories that his peers had told of the beings and spirits that ran rampant across the land, much as they might have across the entire world before mankind even first appeared. He had vowed to go there to experience it for himself. Now, it seemed to be his only option. 

As he was brooding over this dilemma in his study, he heard a distinct 'ITTAI!' from the outdoors. Walking out of his massive house and toward the lake he made it just in time to see a figure with enormous wings dive down to the lake and glide over it. He watched in amazement of the cat-human's grace and agility as it banked around and snatched something out of the water and climbed back up to the sky to two other winged creatures with great and effortless speed. He was able to make out another human figure and a cat before the cat-human dumped water on them, sending them in a rage after her.  
  


He blinked, slightly stunned at what he had just seen. Never, in all of his knowledge of the world's magic had he heard of such creatures, much less seen them. Their speed and agility in the air rivaled that of the dragons themselves! 

'Were they created? No, I have never heard of their existence, even so, they wouldn't be allowed to run riot as they were…Could they have come from…the New World…why would they abandon it? ' His mind worked furiously as to ascertain their possible origins. Then he realized that they could be the very answer to his dilemma.

"Perfect," he murmured to himself and took off after the eastward group to learn more of them.  
  


  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  


  
"Damn, they're fast," thought the sorcerer as he came panting up the hill through the forest. "I thought they'd be on the move all night." He had tried keeping up by teleportation, but found their path far too eccentric to predict, and he was swiftly exhausting his energy store. So he chose to run instead, hoping that they would slow down at that time. But it was not meant to be. He was in good shape from his training and all, but this was just ridiculous!

He slowed when the outcrop of rocks where he saw them land (at last) came into sight and stopped completely when he saw a figure clad in loose white pants and a light purple tunic with billowing sleeves collecting scrap pieces of wood. The area in the back of the shirt between two white wings was covered with incredibly long silver hair. This was unquestionably one of the creatures he couldn't make out in the sky earlier.

The boy bent down to gather another piece of wood, and suddenly the mage found himself staring into a pair of purple feline eyes that glowed through the after-day light. He stood there, staring like a schoolboy, entranced by the man's beauty. He took a tentative step forward.  
  


  
The previously peaceful being immediately leapt up into the air, glaring down at him, and began to form ice crystals in his hand. Alarmed, he stepped back, preparing a counter-spell…  
  


  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  


  
"SHIT!"  
  
Temichica and Cerberus madly dashed about as rocks and debris scattered all around them from the destroyed bolder. Far off, Yue's attack yell came echoing through the silence that followed the explosion. Instantly, both took off towards the shout. They raced into a burned clearing, with Yue flying over a black haired human.  
  


  
"Yue! What- AUGH!!"  
  


  
Temichica's inquiries were silenced by a renegade burst of energy from the man, forcing both winged creatures to fling themselves on the ground. Behind them, a tree burst into flame upon contact with the energy. The flames lit the twilight filled battlefield, revealing Yue to be singed and burnt in testimony to the magician's accuracy.  
  


  
Yue drew back an ice arrow, just as the man started gathering more energy in his hand. Cerberus immediately responded by shooting a column of fire from his mouth, forcing the man to use his attack to block Cerberus'. At that exact moment, Yue let loose of his arrow, hitting the man head on and knocking him to the ground. Cerberus let a triumphant shout.  
  


Both however, were stunned and dismayed when the magician simply stood, smiling, and pressed his hands together. At that instant, both Yue and Cerberus were slammed together in midair and crashed to the ground. Both groaned and struggled to get up, only to find themselves trapped against the earth. Still smiling, the mage walked up to the two writhing figures on the ground.  
  


  
"It was unwise of you to guard yourself like that from me tenshi," he murmured to Yue. As he pressed his hands more tightly together, causing both of his victims to cry out In pain, he searched for their half-cat companion. Not finding her and choosing to pursueher later, he turned back to his prisoners.  
  


  
"As you shall both learn, it is best to give me what I want, instead of forcing me to take it from you."  
  


  
"I beg to differ," growled a dangerously low voice.  
  


  
The man whipped around just in time to see Temichica, eyes alive with battle rage, exploding out of the growth, shooting two lightning bolts straight at him. He screamed in agony, as the electricity numbed his brain, and pressure lifted off of Yue and Cerberus. They immediately took advantage and took flight.

  
  
With a snarl of rage, the man halted the brothers in mid-flight and sent them hurtling towards their sister instead. Dodging the attack, she watched in horror as her only family was slammed viciously into the ground. 

That did it. Now she was mad.

Eyes dark with pure blood wrath, Temichica turned to strike at her adversary, but no one was to be seen. Only silence filled the destruction-created clearing.

A/N: Gaaahh… it's so…short! . 


	3. Night Chill

A/N: MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!… Don't ask. NEways!  
  
Here's the next chapter!  
  
  
  
Cerberus winced. "Yeesh, Temi-chan, you sure that's not pepper you're using there?"  
  
"Quit whining, Cerberus."  
  
"I'm not whining, I'm informing you of the considerable pain you're causing me!"  
  
"Ever the politically correct one," sighed Yue.  
  
The trio had chosen to flee the scene after finding their opponent gone. They set up camp once  
  
again in an alcove of trees by a small brook, where Temichica was able to gather herbs for her  
  
brothers' considerable amount of wounds.  
  
"You're in a dangerous position to be mocking me, Yue, since YOU'RE the one who started this  
  
whole thing because you were afraid he was gonna rape you," growled Cerberus. If looks could kill,  
  
the glare Yue sent Cerberus could have had the lion bouncing between Heaven and Hell for an eon.  
  
"Don't even start, you two. I don't think any of us could afford it at the moment," chided Temichica.  
  
She finished her ministrations on Cerberus and stared out at the moon and star's reflections on the  
  
brook's surface. A realization occurred to her.  
  
"Hey, guys? Am I the only one who noticed that the moon and stars disappeared when that  
  
magician showed up?"  
  
"A cloud," Yue dismissed.  
  
"No… I would have sensed it…" came Temichica's faint reply.  
  
"Are you suggesting that the mage just made them disappear?" asked an incredulous Cerberus.  
  
"It's just speculation," she replied with a shrug.  
  
"Well, anyway, we need to split this place before he decides to show up again."  
  
"And how do we know that he won't just follow us?"  
  
"Give me a break, Yue."  
  
"He has a point Cerberus… I don't think he's the type to let things off that easy," broke in  
  
Temichica.  
  
"You two have gone paranoiac on me!"  
  
"It's not paranoia… just sort of a human sixth sense…"  
  
"You're not human."  
  
"I am partially."  
  
"There's a percentage?"  
  
"I'm too tired to continue this," yawned Temichica, "We'll pick it up in the morning." With that, she  
  
draped herself over a boulder, leaving Cerberus to mull over the complexities of his two siblings.  
  
While Cerberus and Temichica sunk into slumber, Yue stilled in the tree he had chosen as shelter  
  
that night. Nothing invaded his ears except the rhythm of his heart and the memory of the man's  
  
voice… still echoing through his mind.  
  
The more he remembered those words, the more aware he became of the fact that the uneasy  
  
feeling, the presence, that first caused him to attack had not left. A childlike fear began to take  
  
hold of him… something he hadn't felt since older children would tell him stories of the Koukouie*  
  
attacking in darkness.  
  
'Ridiculous,' he chided himself mentally.  
  
And yet, he still couldn't completely resist the urge to wrap himself up with his wings and barely  
  
breathe, waiting for the unknown monster to go away. Just as that happened, the presence lifted,  
  
and he heard the barest pad of feet going away. By the time, Yue had opened his wings again,  
  
there was no one there.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
Far off from the brook that housed the three, a northern port town was in a panic. Bells tolled in the  
  
firehouse, urging the volunteer firefighters to action. The cause of the terror was the metal smith's  
  
shop, a once proud structure now completely engulfed in flames.  
  
Standing in stunned shock of the spectacle that had become his home, the metal smith's face  
  
turned from disbelief to horror as a cloth gag covered his mouth and nose. He swiftly tried to kick  
  
behind him in retaliation, and felt… nothing. He looked down to see his legs gone and his torso  
  
melting into darkness.  
  
  


	4. Battle Lines Drawn

A/N: **sigh** I keep on going back and forth on this chapter… please tell me if it's good  
  
or not… I'm seriously considering rewriting it .  
  
  
  
Midday sun sent the salty waters of the ocean sparkling, as the swells crawled their  
  
stealthy way towards the high cliffs, suddenly attacking in full force, then retreating in  
  
shame from the untouched walls. Above this seemingly futile battle of earth and water,  
  
the three siblings glided on the sea gusts.  
  
  
  
During the previous night, Yue had woken Temichica, telling her of the presence that had  
  
come and gone, to which she quickly agreed that it was their foe and then was the time to  
  
make their exit while he was otherwise occupied. Waking up an extremely reluctant  
  
Cerberus, they traveled all the way to the coast, and then glided along the coast, just  
  
below the cliffs to make sure that they had shaken the pursuer.  
  
"Temi-chan, are sure this is gonna work? The coast is a little too open for my liking,"  
  
remarked an uneasy Cerberus, who, with the help of his siblings and lack of sleep, was  
  
now as fearful of being caught.  
  
"And a little too wet, no?" taunted Temichica, her first language slipping into her  
  
home dialogue. Yue followed suit.  
  
"Si, mucha agua fria!!!!," mocked Yue in his best scared child voice.  
  
"SHUT-UP!!!!"  
  
Temichica laughed, as they broke into an insulting spree in their home tongue. It felt  
  
relieving to be chattering away in a language no one here knew. It unified them, set them  
  
off in a world of strangers. It was a bond. A bond that would be greatly clung onto in the  
  
next coming days.  
  
  
  
All three went silent as the northern sky turned black, the spilled ink flowing south,  
  
towards them, filled with the aura of their antagonist. The trio immediately dived for  
  
caves carved into the cliffs, muttering (and in Cerberus' case, screaming) every curse  
  
that they had acquired during their travels. From the sanctuary of a cave, they watched  
  
the outside world turn as black as night. The rock walls were dimly illuminated by their  
  
auras, providing the only light to be seen anywhere. And then, like a cloud, the darkness  
  
and presence passed, leaving light to reign once again.  
  
  
  
"Holy…crap…"  
  
  
  
"Well, at least he gone now…"  
  
  
  
"Is he?! It could be a trap, you cola cavesa!"  
  
  
  
"Nah, he came and he went, no worries."  
  
  
  
With that statement, Cerberus dropped off the cave's edge, falling before his wings  
  
caught the stiff breeze. Hesitantly, the other two followed suit. They climbed through the  
  
air, until the horizon fell below them. From there, they found that the mage's passing had  
  
not been entirely peaceful.  
  
  
  
Clouds of smoke swirled into the sky, as the whole village panicked and screamed.  
  
Flames that had seemed to have taken a life on their own leapt from building to building,  
  
burning the inside out. The locals desperately flung water at the torrents of heat, futilely  
  
trying to extinguish the red Hell that had become their town.  
  
  
  
Without a word, all three shot into action, Yue using his ice spell to coat the buildings in  
  
the pathway of destruction, and Cerberus flapping his wings to push the fire back.  
  
Meanwhile, Temichica flew high above, pouring out all of her energy to create the  
  
typhoon that would be required to douse the Hell below. Yet, despite all of her efforts,  
  
the clouds came painstakingly slow. Yue left his post on the ground and circled along  
  
with his sister to draw clouds over the sky.  
  
  
  
At last, the first drops started hissing into the fire, quickly turning into a constant torrent,  
  
drowning out every last flame into nothingness. Completely drained and exhausted, Yue  
  
and Temichica glided down to the ground, and collapsed on a curb on the cobblestone  
  
street, listening to the intermingled hisses of defeat and cries of victory and relief.  
  
A/N: Please be brutally honest here peeps! Does it need work??? 


	5. Mage of Good Will

A/N: Alrighty then! Another introductory chapter! XD Don't worry, I'll get to the action soon enough, patience and fortitude. ^_~  
  
   
  
A shadow fell over Yue and Temichica's prone forms, causing both to look up at a  
  
longhaired silhouette gazing down at them.  
  
"Are you two okay?"  
  
"Yeah, we'll be fine, don't mind us." With that, Yue climbed off the ground to get a  
  
better look at the standing inquirer. Long wavy brown hair framed a small pale face,  
  
faceted by two large, sad, brown eyes. Her short frame was clad in a navy dress and cape  
  
flowing behind her. At that moment, Cerberus trotted up  
  
.  
  
"Aaannd the ultimately handsome guy saaaves the day again! Thank you, thank you, all  
  
my loyal fa-OOF!" grunted Cerberus, who had earned a kick from Temichica, still on the  
  
ground, unmindful of the water pooling around her on the ground.  
  
"Shall we go indoors? I'm tired of holding off the rain, and," she turned to the winged  
  
creature on the ground, "You are already going to have a hard enough time as it is  
  
getting all of that muck out of your hair."  
  
"No I won't," replied Temichica, standing up and bringing a waterfall's worth of rain  
  
down from the sky, evectivly drenching herself and the other company present.  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Yes, that was Clow Reed, no mistake."  
  
Thus was the sorceress' first response after her guests had told the happenings of the past  
  
days. They were wrapped up in thick blankets, gathered around a strong fire burning in  
  
the hearth of her home.  
  
"Clow Reed?" inquired Temichica from the depths of a pile of blankets.  
  
"A magician…"  
  
"Like you Marin?"  
  
"Yes, but more powerful… much more powerful…"  
  
"Not to mention the less agreeable personality," muttered Cerberus from under his own  
  
pile. Marin only answered with silence.  
  
"What is it?" piped up Yue.  
  
"Hm? Oh! I'm sorry, it's just..." she paused, as the ember lit brown yes took on an even  
  
sadder tinge. "I-I think it may be me he's after...and people are suffering simply because  
  
they're in his pathway of destruction."  
  
"Why you?"  
  
"Because he's been...harassing me lately... to get out of the way…"  
  
"Out of the way?"  
  
"Hai. I'm really the only other mage that possesses any amount of power that even rivals  
  
his own."  
  
"But didn't you say that he was much more powerful than you?" asked Temichica leaning  
  
out of her bundle in curiosity and confusion.  
  
"Yes, most of the time...but then there are... instances, where my power reaches a new  
  
high." At that moment, the three saw something else mixed with the sadness in  
  
Marin's eyes. Shame? Guilt? She suddenly stood and walked to the window overlooking  
  
the village that she had always so valiantly protected. She abruptly went back to the  
  
topic of conversation. "But, after your telling of his attacks on you, I now doubt I'm his  
  
only target," Her voice grew haunted as she stared out the pane, "and now this."  
  
Temichica rose and padded over to Marin's side. She gazed out at the still smoking ruins,  
  
illuminated only by the setting sun, her normally spiky topknot a blue mass falling over  
  
her eyes. "Marin-san, why do you feel responsible? You can't control the actions of a  
  
madman."  
  
"I know, Temichica-san, it's just, I can't stand to see others get hurt when I have the  
  
power to prevent it."  
  
"But you don't!"  
  
Marin turned to rebuke Temichica with her standard 'Everyone-has-the-power Lecture',  
  
but was halted by the look on the creature's face. Confusion, bewilderment, combined  
  
with her blue hair flopping over her forehead and her two cat ears sticking out, made an  
  
expression, which Marin had to work, hard not to laugh at. After suppressing the giggle,  
  
she also realized that she was talking to a being that had a very limited social experience.  
  
This was a girl who had only known the long term company of two others, and had a  
  
hard time even imagining caring for more than that. She sighed.  
  
"You'll understand when you're older."  
  
  
  
Yue and Cerbeus rose and joined the pair.  
  
"Ahem. We should probably find a place to stake out for the night Temi- chan,"  
  
announced Cerberus.  
  
"Oh! There's plenty of room for all you here!" Marin replied in her best hostess voice.  
  
"Yeah, but it's not a very good vantage point."  
  
"Vantage..."  
  
"Yeah, there's that cliff that over hangs the town-"  
  
  
  
"But there should be a guard for the shore side too-"  
  
"And the sky!"  
  
"Wait!" Marin stopped them at the outside of her front door. "Are you... standing guard  
  
over us?"  
  
Temichica grinned. "You don't think we're one of those hero's that show in the last  
  
minute of action, do you?"  
  
"Those guys are annoying!"  
  
Yue merely sighed. "Alright guys we've traumatized the nice lady long enough, let's go."  
  
He pushed them into flight, leaving a stunned sorceress at the front of her house.  
  
"…Th- thank you…? 


	6. Midnight Guard

A/N: Okay, I'm now making it my personal mission to finish this fic, no matter what! So if you wanna e-mail me for nagging purposes, feel free! I need it people! ^_^;;;;  

The echoing screams of terror that had once filled the room faded to silence, leaving only a cloaked figure standing in the center of a yellow grid, a glowing rectangle and a sea of black.  Clow reached out and took the newly made seal that held the spirit of yet another member of his army and placed it in his robes. He walked a few paces forward and tapped the blackness directly in front of him with the immense wand that he grasped. A pool appeared, shimmering, brining an eerie, but limited light to the magic devoted room. 

      "Things shall start to pick up at this point," he whispered to himself, quickly following it with an incantation that brought an image in the pool of the village that he had just attacked. 'This is one that I will have to keep a watch on for a bit.'  As he surveyed the town that housed his rival, his thoughts wandered back to another enemy that he was up against. He knew that he could capture them all rather effortlessly and be done with it, but that wouldn't be any fun now, would it? He chuckled at the memory of the trio diving down the cliffs into hiding. 'Such foolish, young creatures, thinking that they can simply run into a hole and be safe.' The image in the pool slowly moved back and forth, searching the nighttime that the town was cloaked in. He started when he saw movement in the landscape he was surveying. Following it, he found that it was the very same group that had been dominating his thoughts. He watched them land on one of the chalky cliffs that dominated over the town and perked his ears to hear their conversation.

      "Okay, as see I it, well be able to watch over this place best enough if we cover the air, ground and sea," announced Temichica in her best commanding general voice.

      "What? All of us at the same time??? I thought I was gonna be able to actually catch a couple of winks tonight..." whined Cerberus. Temichica fell over. 

      "NO YOU LEON ESTUPIDO!!!!" hollered Temichica, smacking her brother over the head. "Do you have any idea how inviting it would be for that guy to come along and see one of us asleep with the others gone?!?!? WE ARE IN WAR TIME HERE!!!!" Yue massaged his temples as Temichica continued on her tirade, grabbing on to a neglected stick and whacking Cerberus over the head to emphasize her points.

      Clow chuckled at the parody of night guard that was playing before him. This is really too easy he sneered, Indeed, it shall be quite fun to play with these three. With that he made the pool disappear and he disappeared from the room as well.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

      Marin panted, grabbing on to another jut from the cliff face and pulling herself along. She only had enough reserves to provide a magical net that would catch her if she slipped, rather than just transporting up there. With a sigh of relief she finely rolled up onto the flat surface of the top. Finding no one there, she chose to wait and greet the self appointed guards when they came back.  She pulled the pack that she had carried along the way off and emptied its contents. Bread, soup, honey, and butter, all kept at their desired heat with various spells she had used. Setting the provisions out, Marin starred out at the nightscape before her, the ocean and sky paralleling one another.  Her mind drifted back to a time she gazed out the same direction, on to a less peaceful scene, a world slowly being consumed by a destructive energy, and felt tears boil up in her eyes.

      The rustle of huge wings interrupted her morbid thoughts. 

"Marin? What brings you up here?"

Swallowing down her tears at the sound of the young lion's voice, she turned. "I thought you would all be hungry," she replied to Cerberus, motioning to the setup she had prepared. 

      "Am I ever!" Cerberus pounced on the dinner set down before him.

      "Hey! Take it easy already! I said ALL of you!" Marin quickly scooped up the honey pot before he could get a hold of it.

      "Ah! That's my favorite!!! Gimme gimme gimme!"  His whining was swiftly cut off by a quick smack from Yue who had landed along with Temichica. "Ey, ey! Back off, she said I could have this!!!"

      "The situation is really not getting to you is it, Cerberus?" growled Yue. 

      "Stuff your selfish little face AFTER all of the townspeople gets food!"

      "It's alright," Marin, replied, chuckling, "The food reserves are holding out well, so you don't need to worry about that."

      "Sooo…" Cerberus interjected in shyly, "Does that mean I can have some of that honey…"

      "Only if you promise not to scarf it all, for honey is seldom in access around here," with Cerberus' solemn promise to do so, Marin looked for the honey pot that she had hidden from the sweets crazed lion, only to find it gone. "Oh dear…" she murmured, looking over the cliff edge.

      "Aw, you gotta be kidding me…"

      "Um…err, well, it's not here…"

      Cerberus whimpered in loss. 

A/N: Now, what do you suppose really happened to that jar of honey? Somebody else here likes sweets… XD


	7. Futile Search

A/N: Yeesh people, I thought Marin's identity was a little more obvious then you claim it to be. Okay, I'll give a hint: She is not an original character, and she does not appear or is even mentioned until the very end of the CCS saga.

Dawn had claimed the town, and lit the ruins that, with a heavy heart, the villagers would have to clear for bodies. 

"Is there any chance for survivors?" Marin tenaciously asked a firefighter.

"I'm afraid it's highly unlikely at this point," he replied sorrowfully, "And our fire chief was caught in it too"

"Yataka" whispered Marin. The benevolent man was engaged to one of her best friends, Misaki. The reality of the tragedy sunk in, but she quickly gathered her wits. "We can always hope we MUST hope!" she uttered with determination. The fireman could only silently nod, and return to his efforts.

"Because hope," she continued in a haunted whisper, "Can often be all a being has left" She snapped out of her revere when a sudden blizzard of ash and debris shot across the charred street, causing people to run, shrieking, as trunks, remains of beams, cauldrons, and Kami knows what rained down. 

Steeling herself, Marin rushed to the source of the fountain of debris, preparing herself for a fight. She jogged grimly up to the point where she could safely avoid the projectiles and found a pair of now filthy wings and a yellow tail sticking out of the cavernous hole that had been created. 

"CERBERUS!!!" Marin shouted in an exasperated voice. The lion remained oblivious to her and continued to dig vigorously. "CERBERUS!!!" she tried again, desperately trying to come up with a way to get closer to the creature without getting hit. As she was about to shout again, a disgruntled looking Yue walked up, bouncing the falling debris off his shield. Upon reaching the hole, he bent down, grabbed Cerberus by the ear and bellowed, "**CERBERUS!!!!!!**"

"Ittai!" cried Cerberus, "What the hell was that for?!"

"Ah, so you can still hear," replied Yue and loosened his grip on his brother, dropping the hapless lion back into the hole.

"Cerberus, we really appreciate your help, but could _please _be a little more careful?" requested a sweatdropping Marin. The lion laughed nervously put a filthy paw behind his ash-covered head. Deeming the situations under control, Yue took off to the sky.

"Cerberus?"

"Cerberus."

With that single exchange, both Yue and Temichica both glided back to each of their own self-assigned posts, watching for impending trouble.

~*~*~*~*~

"It can't be it's IMPOSSIBLE" whispered Mitsukake, the firefighter that Marin had spoken to. "We've cleared the whole area, but we haven't found a single body" The three winged siblings, and a good handful of the rescue workers were all crammed into Marin's living room, along with the sorceress herself. 

"I think it's not a question of what happened to the bodies, rather where the people are now," announced Marin. Murmurs of confusion rippled through the group of rescuers. 

"What in the world do you mean, Marin?" asked Mitsukake. 

"What I mean is, what if they weren't killed, and the fire merely a cover up as to what really happened to them, which, I believe, was being abducted."

"And Clow Reed the causer of all this?" concluded Yue. Marin nodded grimly. "Yes, but why would he seek out those who posses no magic?" she asked more to herself than anyone else.

"Well, while I this speculation on motives is all quite interesting, but it's not getting back our missing, nor preventing further attacks," interjected Mitsukake. 

"I say we kill the bastard before he causes any more damage!" hollered a raucous man in the back. This was met by a roar of cheers from the crowd.

"Novel idea, folks, but it'd be nice to know where to thrust the knife, _ne_?" Temichica's voice cut through the hubbub, effectively silencing it. The cat like figure lounged against a wall, peering out at them with one eye, then closing it. 

"Speaking of which, we had better go back out there and keep a watch," said Cerberus. The three departed and Marin watched them through the window, even long after they we're out of sight. 

"Is something bothering you, Marin?" asked Mitsukake.

"Hm? Oh, no I'm just a little worried for those three. It's been three days now that any of them had slept I just hope they aren't overtiring themselves doing this for us"

"I'm sure they will be fine," he assured her, "They've taken care of themselves for this long, haven't they?" Marin only kept on staring at the windowpane where they once were.

~*~*~*~*~

"So, whadda two think? You think he's coming back?" Cerberus called over the wind that whistled past them as they flew. 

"I think it's probable " began Temichica, but never finished her sentence. Yue remained silent. Cerberus was about to bug him for an answer, when Temichica put one paw up. The lion reluctantly obeyed, leaving only the wind to whistle in their ears.

Beneath, Marin caught sight of the three, and was about to move to a higher ground to catch their attention. At that instant, she found herself no longer able to move. Marin struggled and pitted all of her might into breaking through the spell, as the presence of their enemy swept over the town. She screamed out to warn her airborne allies, and not so much as a whisper passed beyond her lips. She watched desperately from her trapped state, begging in her mind for the three to discover what was going on before it was too late

o:p/o:p

A/N: It's funny how many more reviews one tends to get when they leave off on a good cliffhanger. XD I'm really impressed with the size of this chapter, I do believe it's my longest yet! ^_^

o:p/o:p


	8. Falling Down, Pulled Down

A/N: XD And the reviews came pooouuuring in. XD Hope this chapter was worth the wait! Enjoy! ^_^  
  
Yue's thoughts had turned on to unpleasant channels when Cerberus spoke of Clow's possible return. He dreaded  
  
encountering the man again, dreaded his soft voice speaking those not so soft words. It caused him to fear more than any  
  
other enemy or bully did in his life. Not that he would ever dream of letting this on to his two errant siblings. But he had a  
  
  
  
sinking feeling that they already knew. He knew that they'd still love him all the same, but it cracked his tough, superior  
  
image. It had given him a. power. And now with the arrival of the fear of this maniac, the power was gone. Both to him  
  
and those who were close to him.  
  
His thoughts were abandoned, though, at the sight that had next met his eyes. Below him, his two siblings were  
  
falling, wingless, into an uncontrolled flight to the earth. He immediately dived forward, all while desperately wracking his  
  
brains for a way to save them both. Then he passed them. He brought his wings up to maintain a reasonably near altitude  
  
with them, only to find that he didn't move. There was only emptiness where his wings once sprouted. He stared, in  
  
shock, then numbly turned his head downward, towards ground. Unforgiving, unyielding, rapidly approaching, ground.  
  
Something in his stomach tightened, just as his sister's screams filled the air, as the reality of inescapable death hit them.  
  
As the details of the earth became more visible and apparent, he shut his eyes and awaited the other side.  
  
And then, the rushing air was gone, Temichica's screams nonexistent. Cautiously, he opened his eyes to find the ground  
  
still a bit far away, yet shrouded by a red, transparent haze. He looked around, and found his siblings also suspended in a  
  
red haze. As soon as he saw them, the world snapped into focus again, leaving the three on the ground in an undignified  
  
tangle of limbs, hair, tails, and, Yue noted rather happily to himself, wings.  
  
  
  
"Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow!!!! Cerberus, for God's sake, stop moving! OW!"  
  
"Geep! Watch the tail! My beautiful tail!!!"  
  
As the three slowly disentangled themselves, they saw Marin racing towards them at top speed. "Oh, God are you  
  
alright?!?!?" she gasped out when she reached them.  
  
"We're fine, don't worry," replied Cerberus. Clow's presence was still strong upon the land. Temichica turned to  
  
see if Yue was all right and found him gone.  
  
"Yue?" she called, stretching her senses out, seeking her brother. She felt their enemy's ki's center, and felt her  
  
brother's ki zeroing in on it. "Oooh. crap."  
  
"What???"  
  
"It's Yue, he's."  
  
"You don't mean."  
  
"I do."  
  
"Shhhhit!" With that hissed curse, Cerberus and Temichica turned in the direction of the two presences.  
  
"Wait!" shouted Marin, "Where are you, wooop!" Marin was cut off by a powerful nudge by Cerberus, flinging  
  
her halfway onto his back, giving her no choice but to hold on for dear life as her ride and Temichica pounded through the  
  
forest, not quite willing to risk the use of wings again.  
  
Yue had enough. He was going to find out what was going on, and why, and he was going to hear it from the man  
  
himself. Let him attack me, he thought, let him attack innocent villages. But no one attacks HIS siblings, and lives to tell  
  
the tale. He had enough.  
  
He crashed through the brush, at last finding the object of his search. Yue glared at the dark haired man with the  
  
mischievous smile on his face.  
  
"Hmm. not to bad, really. You found me more quickly than I thought you would."  
  
"Leave them alone," Yue snarled.  
  
"Them?"  
  
"You know damn well what I mean."  
  
"Tsk, tsk. Where ever did you three pick up on such language? It really is atrocious, the way you three are  
  
forced to live." With that, Clow walked forward and placed his immobilization spell upon the white haired boy.  
  
"What- the hell- is that supposed- to mean." growled Yue through gritted teeth, watching the mage's advance  
  
with rebellious eyes.  
  
"You shall see soon enough," murmured Clow as he wrapped his arms around the stiff body of the winged  
  
creature, and whispered an incantation that sunk Yue into a deep, dreamless slumber. He smiled, like a child with a new  
  
possession, and slung the limp body over his shoulder. At that instant, a pair of feline creatures came through the forest,  
  
with murderous looks on their eyes, looks that quickly became actions, when they saw his prize draped over his shoulder.  
  
He quickly sidestepped their tackles, and commanded his magic to teleport him back to his home. Temichica, upon  
  
seeing her captured brother disappear, made a last desperate tackle upon the fading figures, and passed into thin air, and  
  
landed upon the leaves and earth of the forest. She sobbed and dug her hands into the soil, biting her lip hard enough to  
  
bleed. Cerberus stood there in shock and dismay, and finally screamed out, speaking for all company present.  
  
"DAMNIT!"  
  
A/N: My, wasn't the ending of this ch just oozing with shonen-ai! XD I think all those with hentaish minds as I will be enjoying lil thoughts of Clow-san and his prize. XD  
  
Clow: XD I LOVE it when she's in a hentai mood! XD  
  
Yue: . I wanna go home. 


	9. BREAK!

Okay, since there seems to be quite a bit confusion here, I'll just make this installment one big Authors Note  
  
Marin's Identity: You really had to be paying attention to the details and reading between the lines to get who she is. I won't tell you outright, but I'll gather the clues for you:  
  
Long wavy brown hair framed a small pale face, faceted by two large, sad, brown eyes. Her short frame was clad in a navy dress and cape flowing behind her.  
  
Her mind drifted back to a time she gazed out the same direction, on to a less peaceful scene, a world slowly being consumed by a destructive energy, and felt tears boil up in her eyes.  
  
- (HERE'S THE BOMBER!) "We can always hope. we MUST hope!" she uttered with determination. The fireman could only silently nod, and return to his efforts. "Because hope," she continued in a haunted whisper, "Can often be all a being has left."  
  
Temichica's Power: I have gotten several e-mails concerning Temichica's eccentricy in her power level. Once again, I won't spoon feed it to you, but give you a clue:  
  
  
  
-Temichica flew high above, pouring out all of her energy to create the typhoon that would be required to douse the Hell below. Yet, despite all of her efforts, the clouds came painstakingly slow. Yue left his post on the ground and circled along with his sister to draw clouds over the sky.  
  
At last, the first drops started hissing into the fire, quickly turning into a constant torrent, drowning out every last flame into nothingness. Completely drained and exhausted, Yue and Temichica glided down to the ground, and collapsed on a curb on the cobblestone street, listening to the intermingled hisses of defeat and cries of victory and relief.  
  
- "Shall we go indoors? I'm tired of holding off the rain, and," she turned to the winged creature on the ground, "You are already going to have a hard enough time as it is getting all of that muck out of your hair."  
  
"No I won't," replied Temichica, standing up and bringing a waterfall's worth of rain down from the sky, evectivly drenching herself and the other company present.  
  
Now, think of what occurred between (and in) those two scenes. There, is the answer to Temichica's sudden bouts of strength and energy. This will become more apparent as I continue through the fic.  
  
How many towns were attacked?  
  
-Ah, I'm afraid I'll have to apologize for that bit of confusion. The town where Marin lives was the only one that was terrorized by Clow. Sorry 'bout confusing you on that. ^^;;;  
  
  
  
Alright! I hope that helps clear up some of the confusion that rose around this fic! And worry not, the next ACTUAL chapter is coming! 


	10. While We Sleep...

A/N: I've FINALLY gotten this stupid chapter done! It took a lot of purging on the fluff through other fics, but, at last, I made this thing turn out the way I wanted it to! Sorry for the wait folks, I doubt I'll ever take that long on a chapter again. ^_^;  
  
Temichica tasted bitter liquid in her mouth, 'Blood.' The word reverberated through her mind, conjuring up the image of  
  
the red magic that had kept them from meeting their death on the ground, only to take away her brother, her support, her  
  
comfort, the closest thing to a parental figure she had ever known, lost in that in the red haze. The echoing of her thoughts  
  
was shattered by Cerberus' scream, speaking of an agony just as intense as her own. Then a clear voice cut through it  
  
with the clear ray hope.  
  
  
  
"THIS IS OUR CHANCE!!!" shouted Marin, and raced deeper into the forest with a dead set certainty. She  
  
stopped and whirled around to face two shocked faces of the siblings. "Don't you two see??? Clow may have gotten  
  
your brother, but he made a fatal mistake by using magic so close to us! You see, when he teleported, he left a trail of  
  
magic, if you will, and we can track him down! But if we don't hurry, there will be too much interfera-WOAH!!!" For the  
  
second time that night, Marin found herself flung loosely onto the lion's back and clinging to the fur for dear life.  
  
  
  
"You're driving," was all he said as he continued to go in the direction that she had started running, Temichica  
  
running along his side.  
  
  
  
"Keep on going in the direction you're headed, I'll tell you if it changes!" she called over the whistling wind that  
  
their speed created. As the trees blurred past them, Marin found herself, not for the first time, in awe of their loyalty to  
  
one another and the determination that shone in Temichica's already glowing eyes. She turned her thoughts determinedly  
  
back to following the already dimming trail of magic that they followed. She fell into a trance like state, the blur of the  
  
trees and ground, broke occasionally by an open field.  
  
  
  
It dawned subconsciously upon her that it was strange that they were not encountering any other night creatures. As this  
  
thought slowly bubbled to the surface of the torpid state of her brain, she turned to ask her companions, the nighttime  
  
was abruptly broken by the dawn. Darkness faded into sun, along with the last tendrils of the trail of magic.  
  
  
  
"Oh, NO!" Startled, both creatures halted in their tracks for the first time in hours, breathing hard. "No...  
  
the trail..." Marin whispered.  
  
  
  
"Gone?" panted Cerberus.  
  
  
  
"Just....keep on going, I might be able to pick it up again..." They continued along at a slower pace,  
  
the rising sun at their backs, losing heart with each step. "THERE!" Marin cried, pointing towards a thicket.  
  
  
  
"You found (pant) the trail?!"  
  
  
  
"Better than that, the man has stopped. He's still a bit off though."  
  
  
  
"Now what?" asked Temichica, still determined as ever, even after a night of running at top speed and gasping  
  
for air.  
  
  
  
"We shall go through that thicket and see what awaits us on the other side. Let's be careful! We've already seen  
  
the trickery he's capable of."  
  
  
  
Marin clambered off of Cerberus to walk along with them, as they plunged into the thicket, letting their guide lead the  
  
way towards their quarry, and hopefully their brother.  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Yue dreamt. Images had finally come upon him, and seized him out of the inky blackness of unconsciousness. Most of it  
  
was a whirlwind of sensory images. And then, a...presence would descend, asking questions, a presence that had  
  
never been present in his dreams before. And he always answered.  
  
  
  
[Village move we've stopped there's a creek get some water bread smells like home we must be home we have no one home always moving with the seasons will always be home with mom and dad.]  
  
[Not fair she always gets her way just because she's younger stupid little kid why did she have to come no I wouldn't get rid of her I promised mama to take care yes I try to keep that promise bully hurting her anger fight another.]  
  
[Smells different why doesn't dad get up red underneath him like a deer is when no can't be why so many with red underneath them why they're hurting each other why must get Temi and Cerberus away why]  
  
[They come don't want us to live must leave go far away before there is blood underneath me across so much water different lands strange not home can't go home better off in strange place]  
  
  
  
Clow opened his eyes and removed his hand from Yue's forehead and nudged the young man back into a dreamless  
  
state, watching the tense muscles relax as the painful memories were placed again in their boxes, not to be opened for a  
  
long time. He walked down a hall, now knowing what and whom he was dealing with.  
  
  
  
A part of him ached for the trio from the war ravaged land, a part that he had been long suppressing throughout this  
  
whole ordeal. He no longer tried to shove it away; he only ignored it now. At least, the best he could. Now it harassed  
  
him, prodded him, 'Is this really the right thing to do?' He was able to ignore it up until now, when upon seeing  
  
the...hell, for lack of better word, that they have been through, and now it screamed at him, harangued, and carried  
  
on with an inner tirade directed at him.  
  
  
  
"They will not remember it!" he finally shouted aloud, slamming his fist upon the stone ledge in front of the  
  
window he had come to stop at. "They will not remember it...any of it, not their parents' death, not...this."  
  
His voice dropped into a solemn whisper. The voice silenced, as if considering, then resumed its normal state of nagging  
  
at him, easy to ignore for the most part. He sighed and turned away from the window and continued walking down the  
  
hall, not noticing three figures that exploded out of the growth across the lake.  
  
  
  
A/N: I soooooo hope none of you were confused by that ^^;;;;;;;  
  
Clow: First she makes me evil, and now I hear voices in my head. Grreeeeaaat. -_-  
  
Yue: What kinda dreams were those anyway!?!?  
  
Me: Hush, both of you, before I do something drastic. XP 


	11. Outside, Crashing In

A/N: School………destroying………all creative abilty………@.;;; If the beginning of this chapter confuses you, then it's probably because you hadn't read this  
  
fic in forever, another testimony to my failure as an author. Gomen nasi.  
  
  
  
"Aiyiyiyiyiyi!!! AGH! DON'T THROW ME IN THE DRINK!" wailed Cerberus. Temichica flailed her arms, also not expecting the dense shrubbery to give away  
  
to the thin strip of rocks and deep water of the lake. At last, she risked flight, and flapped her way to a tree, where she clung to the branches. Her brother regained  
  
his own balance and followed Marin as she dove once again into the undergrowth.  
  
  
  
"Whadda do we do now?" asked Cerberus as he struggled to free his wings from some thorny bushes.  
  
  
  
"Hush! Lower your voice. We had best not attract attention when we're this close. It's a miracle that Clow sensed our presence as it is-"  
  
  
  
"HUH!? I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" called an upside down Temichica, as she swung down in front of them.  
  
  
  
"SSSSSSSSSHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" A mixture of hands and paws clamped over her mouth.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
Clow continued his way down the hall, his thoughts and inner battle occupying every iota of his attention, until he felt a particular magical tremor, shattering through  
  
the dormant ones that surrounded him. He froze, abandoning all thoughts of making peace with his conscience. 'Surely the boy could not have woken already,' he  
  
thought to himself. He swiftly turned back to the room he had left his captive. As he passed the window he had paused at before, a movement caught the corner of  
  
his eye. He halted and focused on the other side of the lake where the disturbance occurred. He saw the bushes shift, then a brief flash of movement. Clow's eyes  
  
narrowed as the tremor grew strong again, he knew that whatever was across the water was causing the disturbance. He quickly made his way to the room, and  
  
lifted Yue from the couch where he lay.  
  
  
  
Going deeper inside of the mansion, the mage at last reached a room to hide his prize in. He bent down and laid the winged boy on a pad on the floor, and rose to  
  
retrieve a cloak to cover him with along with the book that stored his newly made cards. Clow pulled out one and murmured, "Erase." He mentally directed the  
  
magic to the cloak that he held out. The dark blue cloth disappeared, along with the hand that was covered by it. Nodding slightly in satisfaction, he knelt beside  
  
Yue and covered the prostate body with the cloak, making it vanish. Clow quickly walked out of the room, closing the door, and drawing out another card from the  
  
book. "Lock," he called, sealing the portal shut.  
  
  
  
The staff that he released began to glow bright red as he readied himself for battle, reaching within himself and conjuring up the power until in ran fiercely just  
  
beneath his skin. His magical senses now fully alert, he could clearly feel the aura of a particular magical being that he had hoped he would never have to face again.  
  
Conjuring up huge black wings with a thought, he leapt from a balcony and sailed towards his enemy upon the ground. She was waiting for him.  
  
  
  
"Took you damn long enough, Clow," smirked Marin. A devilish gleam had appeared in her eye.  
  
  
  
"I thought you had retired from this sort of thing, Marin," replied Clow in a mockingly serious tone.  
  
  
  
"I had, but adverse circumstances have incited me to return," Marin's hands lifted, two violet sparks appearing on the tip of each finger.  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Hey Temi-chan, you're probably sick of me saying this but-"  
  
  
  
"You've got a bad feeling about this," finished Cerberus' flying companion. "Com'on, Cerberus! Where's your sense of adventure!? Your battle lust?"  
  
  
  
"Hmm, lesse, perhaps nearly being KILLED by this guy a hundred times has something to do with their disappearance!?"  
  
  
  
"Oh please. The only time we came even close to death was last night. Besides, Marin said she'd deal with the psycho, while we sneak in the back door and do the  
  
retrieving. He can't even sense us cuz of her nifty lil shield thingy."  
  
  
  
"Yeah, and what happens if her magic falters, and there's a breach in the shield?"  
  
  
  
Temichica turned to her brother with a cheerful, genki grin on her face. "Then we pray."  
  
  
  
"How reassuring."  
  
  
  
The two zeroed in on a window, and causuously opened the lock using a dagger that Marin had given to Temichica. She shook her head a bit. "I still can't belive  
  
she carries these things around."  
  
  
  
"Why?" asked Cerberus as he clambered struggled through the window.  
  
  
  
"Never stuck me as a armed and dangerous one………"  
  
  
  
Cerberus chose not to comment, and perked his senses up for his brother, and followed towards Yue's ki.  
  
  
  
"It's really faint, isn't it?" came Temichica's hushed whisper after several moments of nothing but the silence and their soft padding through the halls.  
  
  
  
"I-I hope he's okay………" They halted in front of a door, where Yue's presence whispered outward. "I guess this is where we find out." With that, the lion began  
  
to back up, lowering his head and pawing at the ground. "Out of the way, Temi-chan," he called to his sister.  
  
  
  
"Before you go ruining the house, causing an incredible racket, and potentially bringing the door and yourself crashing down on Yue, it might be wise to see if it's  
  
unlocked," she replied condescendingly, jiggling the handle. "Aaannnd… it's locked. Knock yourself out." She stepped back giving her brother a charging path. He  
  
snorted, much like a bull, bringing a snicker from the spikey haired catwoman. Ignoring her, Cerberus charged forward, full speed and full strength. The next thing  
  
he knew, he was lying on his back, with the worst headache he'd ever had, and his sister looking down at him with a look mixed of pity and her you- are-such-a-  
  
dork-face.  
  
  
  
"When I said knock yourself out, I didn't mean it literally." With that she began to fiddle with the strange lock on the oaken door, using Marin's dagger, mindful of  
  
their limited time, shortened even more by the massive racket 'Plan A' had caused.  
  
  
  
A/N: And THEN Cerberus get amnesia!!!!!!! MUAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!  
  
Origins cast: -.-;;;  
  
NEways! XD Pllleeeeeeeeaaaaaaaassssssssseeeeeeeeee R+R! I don't care if you've already reviewed it on some other chapter, DO IT AGAIN! It's real depressing when you get so little reviews for one chapter, like I did in the last one.;_; 


	12. Water's Potency

A/N: IIIINNNNSSSSPPPPPIIIIRRRRAAAATIIIOOOONNNNN!!!!! Oh, how I love it!  
  
^_^ * writes like crazy*  
  
  
  
Marin plastered herself to the tree trunk, scrapping her cheek across the rough surface as  
  
she tentatively leaned outward slightly, trying to catch a glimpse of her opponent. She  
  
swiftly jerked her head back as a blast of fire raged past her, scorching her dress.  
  
Seconds later, she was flushed from the spot altogether by the bright spirit that preyed  
  
upon her. Running up to the lake's edge, she reached for the water, and willed it to  
  
follow her fingers. Then, pitching her arm forward, she hurled the water at the fire spirit.  
  
An instant before the water hit it's target, the creature dispersed in a red light, and  
  
traveled to a chuckling magician.  
  
  
  
"So, I see you have not lost any of your agility, but the skill," Clow shook his head, "Is  
  
rather questionable." Marin snarled and clenched her teeth. "Since you seem to be in the  
  
mood for a water fight, how's about trying this card on for size?" With that Clow tossed  
  
another card into the air, and it exploded into the same eerie red light, only it traveled  
  
into the lake.  
  
  
  
All was still for a moment, then a wave formed in the center of the lake, rushing towards  
  
Marin at the edge, gaining speed and size with each passing second. Concentrating all of  
  
her force, she pushed against the water spirit, asking, imploring, begging, and finally,  
  
demanding it to stop. However, it all fell upon deaf ears, and the wave loomed over her  
  
at the edge. At last, Marin ran for it, leaping out of the way, and scrambling up a tree.  
  
  
  
"What ever is wrong?" Clow laughed, mockingly, "Surely you aren't afraid of a bit of  
  
water?"  
  
  
  
"You should talk of fear," called the longhaired woman back. " Sending out your little  
  
spirits, just because you're afraid to face me!" The water returned, and rammed full force  
  
into the tree where she had taken refuge. As she fell with the toppling tree and was swept  
  
into the water, she caught a glimpse of Clow turning suspiciously towards the mansion,  
  
and releasing yet another spirit.  
  
  
  
'Hurry up you guys …' was her last conscious thought, before she was slammed  
  
viciously into the ground.  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
"Any luck Temi-chan?"  
  
  
  
"I'm working on it," growled the figure kneeling in front of the door. Temichica fiddled  
  
with the knife, trying to catch a vulnerable spring. "I think- almost got it- com'on you lil  
  
motha fucker…"  
  
  
  
"Temi! Language!"  
  
  
  
"I'd like to see you deal with this stupid piece of-EUREKA!!!" she shouted as the lock  
  
sprang. Both started as the lock disappeared in a flash of light.  
  
  
  
"It was… a spell all along…"  
  
  
  
Cerberus whistled between his teeth. "Nice dagger…"  
  
  
  
"No ordinary one… we'll have to ask Marin about it when this is over," Temichica  
  
replied and began to push open the door. Without warning, the door was slammed  
  
inwards with such violence that it hit the wall and swung out more slowly. The two  
  
startled creatures saw upon the door a single scorch mark, with a thin ribbon of smoke  
  
rising out.  
  
  
  
"What the h-TEMI, WATCH OUT!!!"  
  
  
  
Temichica turned just in time to see a flash of white light whiz past her and strike the  
  
wall behind her, leaving a similar mark. Her gaze was drawn to the source of the energy,  
  
a pink, fierce looking spirit.  
  
  
  
"Hey, I guess that's how your hair will look like eventually, tonargi."  
  
  
  
"YIPE! This is NOT the time to be theorizing about my hair, Cerberus!" yelped  
  
Temichica as the spirit shot at her again. "We need to grab Yue and get out of here  
  
NOW!"  
  
  
  
Both raced in, and frantically looked for him. Another flash of energy stuck near  
  
Temichica. "I'll distract it, you look for onnichan!" called Cerberus as he charged  
  
towards their aggressor, taunting it with every insult he could think of.  
  
  
  
Desperately looking for Yue, Temichica didn't notice the next shot coming until it grazed  
  
her foot. She winced. "Cerberus, aren't you supposed be DISTRACTING that thing!?"  
  
  
  
"I'm trying! But it'll only aim at you, Temi!!!" At that instant, the lion stumbled,  
  
dragging the cloak that concealed their brother. Yue groaned groggily, and looked as if  
  
he was struggling to waken. Temichica gave a shout of joy at seeing her brother  
  
unharmed, then narrowly avoided a shot at her arm.  
  
  
  
"Look, you get him outta here and I'll- wait! Lemme see what was hiding him!" She  
  
swiftly grabbed the cloak and enveloped herself in it, and disappeared. The spirit halted,  
  
confused, its target gone. Cerberus, nearly screamed when he saw Yue's prostate body  
  
rise into the air on it's own, along with his sister's grunt of "A little help here."  
  
  
  
Temichica draped her brother onto the lion's back, and both raced to the hall to leave  
  
through the nearest window. The confused spirit ambled outside the room, a blank  
  
expression on its face as it stared at the departing lion with the angel over his back. The  
  
nearest window seemed to swing open on its own accord, and the lion took flight.  
  
Suddenly, the feline-human creature reappeared, the cloak snagged in the windowsill,  
  
along with some of her long hair.  
  
  
  
"Damnit!" she cursed, trying to free herself. She looked up just in time to see the look of  
  
insane glee upon the pink spirit's face, the hand draw back, the shot coming straight for  
  
her… Temichica leapt from the window, as the shot struck the drapery rod where her  
  
head once was. The fastening to the wall shattered, and the rod swing crazily, striking  
  
her in the back of the head, knocking her flight off. She struck her head again on a lower  
  
overhang, knocking her into blackness. Temichica's limp body rolled off the roof of the  
  
mansion, down, until she fell into the deep water of the lake, sinking into the deep blue,  
  
out of sight.  
  
  
  
A/N: Perhaps I should write a book, ne? "How to Drive Your Readers Insane With  
  
Cliffhangers" XD *runs from a mob of enraged readers *  
  
  
  
Cerberus: Yeah, while we endorse Aspirin commercials. *pops three * 


	13. PaRdOn ThE PaRoDy

Okay, we're at a particularly serious part of the story, and I figured we needed a lil comic relief. So I, Mateem, put together a few outtakes from the previous chapters. Enjoy!  
  
Ch. 1 Travelers  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Temichica is diving down to get some algae to douse her brothers with.  
  
Take 1:  
  
Temi: *flies down to the lake and doesn't pull up in time and splashes right in *  
  
Kero: Ouch, right on the face too. o_o  
  
Take 2:  
  
Temi: *dives down and banks around to grab the algae * Wait a second! There's no algae! oO  
  
Mateem: Oops. *goes off sheepishly to type it into existence * ^_^;;  
  
Take 5:  
  
Temi: *grabs the algae and gets yanked into the water *  
  
Mateem: ALL RIGHT! WHO'S THE WISE GUY THAT ADDED IN A SEA MONSTER!?!? T_T  
  
Clow: *whistles innocently *  
  
Take 10:  
  
Temi: *flies up and squeezes the algae, Yue and Kero dodge and it lands on Clow instead*  
  
Mateem: *rubs her temples * -.-  
  
Marin: Hey can somebody run to Linens and Things? We're running out of towels...^^;  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Chapter 2 First Impressions  
  
The twilight fight scene between Yue and Co. and Clow  
  
Take 1:  
  
Yue: *leaps up to throw his crystals at Clow, and smashes into a tree branch*  
  
Take 2:  
  
Yue: *leaps up and loud rip is heard * ...O_O ...er...may I be excused?   
  
Cast: *try not to snicker as Yue slinks off to the dressing room, covering his rear *  
  
Mateem: XD  
  
Take 4:  
  
Kero: SHIT!!! * dodges the boulders wildly and smashes head on into Temi *  
  
Temi: *wraps her arms around Kero * We're gonna diiiieeee!!! ;_;  
  
Mateem: Temi, for the last time, the rocks are Styrofoam! -_-  
  
Kero: X_x  
  
Take 6:  
  
Temi: *races out of hiding to attack Clow and trips over Kero and Yue *  
  
Mateem: Hmm... I think I need to make her attacking you from behind, Clow. ^^;;;  
  
Take 7:  
  
Clow: *throws Yue and Kero towards Temi *  
  
Temi: *dodges but gets her tail caught and lands on top of them * Ooowwww...   
  
Clow: *winces *  
  
Chapter 3 Night Chill  
  
The group is in the tree grove, recovering.  
  
Take 1:  
  
Kero: AAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!  
  
Temi: Oops, that WAS pepper... ^^;  
  
Take 2:  
  
Kero: You're in a dangerous position to be mocking me, Yue, since YOU'RE the one who started this whole thing because you were afraid he was gonna rape you.  
  
Yue: *sigh * Yeah... too bad he didn't succeed...  
  
Temi: *smacks Yue* PERV!  
  
Mateem: WRONG FIC, YUE!  
  
Take 6:  
  
Temi: It's not paranoia...just sort of a human sixth sense.  
  
Kero: You're not human.  
  
Temi: I am partially.  
  
Kero: There's a percentage?  
  
Temi: Yes, in fact there is! *throws on a white lab coat * Now if you'll observe these charts, you can see the exact way my DNA is divided. Now, this is the procedure I used for this discovery-  
  
Mateem: That does it, no more Bill Nye the Science Guy for you. -_-  
  
Chapter 4 Battle Lines Drawn  
  
The group is hiding from Clow  
  
Take 1:  
  
*all three fly down into the cave *  
  
Yue: *looks out * Oh feck. o_o  
  
Temi: What now? *looks* O_O *giant wave crashes onto the cliff and washes all three out of the cave*  
  
Clow: *blinks* Today is going to be one of those days. -_-  
  
A/N: Okay, I'll be putting in regular omake installments at the end of chapters. XD Hope ya' like `em! 


	14. Our hearts are beating...

A/N: I know how cruel it was of me to leave you all hanging off at that point of the story,  
  
and even crueler to do a `fake update' ^_^;;; But now it's for real! And I am keeping up  
  
the outtakes at the end of each chapter, affectionately titled: PaRdOn ThE PaRoDy.  
  
No air, cold, wet, silent. All warning signs that Temichica long knew to abide to for the  
  
sake of survival. Yet, as she struggled to awaken her body, it would not respond. Her  
  
mind and spirit both screamed at the vessel that refused to move. She paused when it  
  
occurred to her that she could open her eyes, and none of the cold liquid rushed into her  
  
nose or parted lips.  
  
`Am I dead? Surely it would take me longer than that to die,' she thought vaguely as she  
  
watched the shimmering light of the sun grow fainter and smaller by the second. Then,  
  
she stopped sinking, and seemed to be held in suspended animation. She still felt herself  
  
\ unable to move, and slowly, reluctantly sunk into a trance of the water's crisscrossing  
  
patterns on the surface, and the dull, hypnotic silence of the lake's depths. Some part of  
  
her mind that still functioned pondered why it was so silent. Usually, you could hear  
  
things... moving, swimming, hunting, escaping, living. Dead. The whole lake was...  
  
dead. For some reason, that silence, that deadness coursed more chills through her than  
  
any thoughts of death she had ever had before.  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
Temichica jerked, temporarily defying the invisible bond that held her, panicking as the  
  
sudden intrusion brought her to reality.  
  
"No! No! Please stop moving! You'll drown yourself!"  
  
Under different circumstances, the panicked creature would have ignored the inaudible  
  
call, and continued to struggle free, but something in the speaker's voice, a desperation,  
  
made her stop. Still frightened and edgy, she struggled to answer in the same, unspoken  
  
mode. "Wh-who are you?"  
  
A sigh of relief. "It's alright, I don't want to hurt you. If you had struggled too much,  
  
then the seal I created would have been broken, and you would have drowned."  
  
"What...so you're... saving me?" A hum of confirmation. "So... it'd be nice to know the  
  
identity of my rescuer, ya' know?" She was unsure how to react to a complete stranger  
  
saving her.  
  
" I-I'm a spirit... though I wasn't always...but that doesn't matter. Listen, you must leave  
  
this place as soon as I return you to the surface! Never come back, please!" Again, the  
  
tone of desperation.  
  
"Why? It isn't because of that creep is it?"  
  
"Please don't ask questions, just leave this horrible place as soon as you reach the top!"  
  
With that, the water jaded sun started to grow bigger and brighter as she rose upward  
  
with alarmingly increasing speed.  
  
"Wait- I need to know why! I-" Temi's demand for more information was halted when  
  
suddenly a bright red light surrounded her, then vortexed to the surface, taking her  
  
savior's presence with it. At that instant, the water rushed into her nostrils and still parted  
  
mouth, jerking her into action to reach the surface.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Unnngghhh..."  
  
Cerberus started at the sound that came from the body draped over his back. Before he  
  
had the chance to poke some fun at Yue for sleeping through so much, he saw a sight  
  
that banished all humorous thoughts from the lion's mind.  
  
"Marin! Oh dear Kami, please don't say she's-" Cerberus landed beside the stricken  
  
sorceress, laying on the ground. Yue groaned again and opened his eyes.  
  
He immediately wanted to close them again. All this time, what he thought was a horrific  
  
nightmare, was reality being detected by his subconscious. The capture, his memory  
  
being searched, his whole soul exposed to his enemy, the creature attacking his siblings who were trying to rescue him, Temichica falling, unconscious, into the water and  
  
sinking into-  
  
Yue jerked, suddenly brought to life once again by- his little sister, she was- he  
  
desperately reached out to feel her presence- `In the lake, oh gods, she's in the lake!'  
  
"TEMICHICA!!!" The thought of his younger sister drowning gave him an explosion of  
  
power, and he leapt off of Cerberus' back.  
  
"Yue! Wha-"  
  
"Stay with her!" Yue ordered his brother, then turned heel and took off in the direction  
  
they had just come from. Cerberus strained to follow Yue, but then halted and did as he  
  
said. He knew better to question his brother when he spoke in that tone.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
PaRdOn ThE PaRoDy  
  
Readers: ... WHAAAAT!!?!??  
  
Mateem: *tosses out some outtakes for readers to tear through first then runs for dear life*  
  
Chapter 5: Mage of Good Will  
  
Take 1:  
  
Marin: Are you guys okay?  
  
Yue: *wolf whistle* I am now! *_* *gets socked in the jaw by Marin*  
  
Take 2:  
  
Cerberus: Aaannd the ultimately handsome guy saaaves the day again! Thank you, thank you, all my loyal faaaahhhhh- *squeaks and eyes cross*  
  
Mateem: Ah, Temi, I think you aimed a little too low on that one...  
  
Temi: Sorry `bout that...  
  
Yue: *hisses through his teeth in sympathy*  
  
Take 3:  
  
Marin: I-I think it may be me he's after...and people are suffering simply because  
they're in his pathway of destruction  
  
Temi: Why you?  
  
Marin: Because he's been...harassing me lately...  
  
Temi: Then for get a restraining order on `im! Whadda waiting for!?  
  
Marin: Er, Temi, first, wrong line, second, who the heck is going to put a restraining order on Clow Reed!?  
  
Temi: Ghostbusters of course!  
  
Cast: *falls over* 


	15. Broken Spirit

A/N: *listens to her new techno CD* Ah, la vida esta buena… ^_____^ On to the next chapter!  
  
  
  
Yue tore through the air, not caring about his speed, the devastation a crash would cause,  
  
or the great danger that still loomed over them all as long as they stayed there. All that  
  
mattered was Temichica, and the suffocation that was surely prying her from life.  
  
  
  
And, that, as all the gods as his witnesses, she would not leave life if he could help it.  
  
  
  
And, if he failed, that he would follow her.  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
Air. Sweet, thin, fresh air seeped into Temichica's starved lungs, as she risked a quick  
  
contact with the surface before sinking down again, afraid of what she /knew/ what was  
  
up there.  
  
  
  
She shuddered a bit, both from the water's chilling temperature, and the recent memory  
  
of the water spirit that she had encountered. She seemed so kind… yet desperate to get  
  
away from this man… but along with the desperation, there was a resignation, that this  
  
was to forever be her life, that escape was impossible. The resignation is what chilled  
  
her, more than the water, more than the idea of death, more than any monster she could  
  
ever conjure up in her mind.  
  
  
  
A broken spirit.  
  
  
  
Temichica, for the first time in a long time, was afraid of something.  
  
  
  
Then, the conflict of two instincts arose within the submerged creature. One was the need  
  
for oxygen, and much more than the meager sip she allotted herself. The other was the  
  
equally essential need to remain hidden from danger. The conflicts battled one another,  
  
the presence of the enemy not fading, and the skin under her brown fur turning blue.  
  
  
  
The former won. She exploded to the surface with a great, "WHHHOOOOAAAAAAR!!!"  
  
  
  
Once enough water had cleared from her eyes, she saw /him/, standing at the lake's edge,  
  
holding a strange card, that emanated the aura of the spirit that had saved her. Her eyes  
  
widened in shock and horror when it hit her that somehow, the broken spirit was  
  
imprisoned inside that card. This, of course, went through her mind the millisecond it  
  
took before Clow drew one hand back and a ball of energy formed, aimed straight for  
  
her.  
  
  
  
Temichica quickly dove back underwater, recalling the fiery effects of the mage's magic.  
  
She was surprised and panicked when the power burst followed her under the surface.  
  
She swam wildly away from the ball of energy, turning back just in time to see the spell  
  
explode, reaching out in all directions. One tendril snagged around her ankle, and  
  
another looped about her wrist before she could even react.  
  
  
  
For the second time, she was forced out of the water, and dangled loosely in midair, as  
  
she was held by the binding spell. Clow was slightly surprised, having expected the wild  
  
creature to be completely encased in the spell. This being was more adaptable to water  
  
than he had originally thought. 'No matter,' he thought. 'This one will hold long enough  
  
for me to properly restrain her.'  
  
  
  
Temichica felt her heart leap into her throat as Clow formed another ball of energy.  
  
'Gods, tied up like a hog up for the slaughter,' she thought. She had to block it, but one  
  
hand was tied by the magic and the other one… had something in it. She glanced down  
  
and was shocked to see, still clutched in her hand, Marin's dagger. Not bothering to  
  
ponder how she'd managed to keep hold of it, she slashed at the crimson spell that bound  
  
her, shouting in joy as a dark purple glow surrounded the blade, and sliced through the  
  
magic like butter.  
  
  
  
Righting herself to prevent from falling into the water again, Temichica glided above the  
  
surface, barely missing crashing in again. She then just realized how sluggishly she was  
  
moving. Her wings were completely soaked, weighing her down, along with her dripping  
  
clothing, hair, and fur. She knew that she didn't stand a chance, not with her speed so  
  
affected. Yet, she couldn't bear to leave the tortured spirit behind with Clow.  
  
  
  
Feeling lost and helpless, Temichica flapped her wings as she could, moving painfully  
  
slow up into the air. She looked down, seeing Clow race along the shoreline, getting  
  
ready to fire his attack. Temichica took a deep breath, a desperate plan forming in her  
  
mind. She'd wait until he fired his attack, then she's ram straight into him, then,  
  
hopefully, grabbing the card out of his clutches, run away.  
  
She watched the energy launch toward her, then began her dive forward to the mage. A  
  
freezing horror took hold of her when she realized she'd miscalculated, and was hurtling  
  
straight to the spell… only a few mere feet away…  
  
  
  
Abruptly, she felt herself being jerked upwards. Up she went, as the spell barely brushed  
  
her tail. Her head snapped up and she gasped, seeing that her savior was… her brother.  
  
Yue glared at her with his trademark "What-the-hell-do-you-thing-you're- doing-you-  
  
idiot" look, and totted her along, bent on getting them as far away from here as possible.  
  
"Wait!" she cried. "The spirit-"  
  
"No, Temichica!" barked Yue, as he retained his grip on his struggling sister. "Listen to me Temichica, no!"  
  
"But we can't leave her with him-"  
  
"Temichica, we don't have time for this!"  
  
She looked back, at the man she had not knew existed a week ago, and now hated him with a fiery passion that she didn't know she had. Turning back to Yue, she, for the first time, thought of disobeying her brother…  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
PaRdOn ThE PaRoDy  
  
Chapter 6: Midnight Guard  
  
Take 1:  
  
*screaming fills the dark room*  
  
Clow: AAAUUUUGGGHHH!!! MY TOE!!! GODS MY TOE!!! OOOOOWWWWW!!! WHO'S BRIGHT IDEA WAS IT TO NOT PUT ANY LIGHTS IN HERE ANYWAYS!?!?!?  
  
  
  
Take 2:  
  
Kero: What? All of us at the same time??? I thought I was gonna be able to actually catch a couple of winks tonight...  
  
Temi: *falls over… right off the cliff*  
  
  
  
Take 3:  
  
Temi: Do you have any idea how inviting it would be for that guy to come along and see one of us asleep with the others gone?!?!? WE ARE IN WAR TIME HERE!!  
  
Yue: *salutes sarcastically* SIR,YES SIR!!!  
  
Temi: QUIET IN THE RANKS! *whacks him over the head*  
  
  
  
Take 4:  
  
Marin: *at the bottom of the cliff* T.T You've gotta be kidding.  
  
Mateem: What makes you think I'm kidding?  
  
Marin: I'm sooo firing my manager…  
  
  
  
Take 5:  
  
Kero: Aw, you gotta be kidding me  
  
Marin: Um…err, well, it's not here  
  
Clow: *from below* YEAH MAYBE BECAUSE IT FECKIN' FELL ON MY HEAD!!! 


	16. Safe?

A/N: IIIIIIIIIIIIII'm coming out, so… my mom better turn off that damned CD!!! T_T  
  
…nothing against Pink, but I need TECHNO to write, dammit! *turns the volume up on  
  
her Darude CD*  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
"IMOUTO-CHAN!" hollered Yue, as Temichica yanked her arm away defiantly, and  
  
dove down to attack the mage once again. He watched as she slashed viciously –"Where  
  
did she get that dagger?"- at Clow, snarling and baring her sharp teeth. To Yue's  
  
surprise, Clow backed off, seemingly afraid of the dagger-bearing cat creature. The dark  
  
haired man had never seemed to be afraid of any of them before, the least of all  
  
Temichica. Then it hit the watching angel.  
  
  
  
The dagger. That's what he was so afraid of.  
  
  
  
In a swift flash of magic, the mage acquired his staff, and took up a defensive stance.  
  
With a savage roar, Temichica charged forward. With that, Yue swiftly decided to cease  
  
being a spectator and to pull Temichica away before she was hurt- or worse.  
  
  
  
Dagger and staff clashed, and a fireworks show ensued. Both were forced back by a blast  
  
of light and magic, purple and red that exploded from the contact of the two weapons.  
  
Yue, as well, was shoved back by the violent burst of power.  
  
  
  
Gathering his bearings, he shouted down, "Temichica! Stop!!!" But the plea fell on deaf  
  
ears as Temichica charged once again. Yue could only hover above, knowing better than  
  
to try and stop any of their kind when they were this far gone.  
  
  
  
'What could have set her off so much?' he pondered in his mind, as one violent slash cut  
  
through a few loose strands of Clow's hair, and drew a thin crimson line across one  
  
cheek.  
  
  
  
Then he remembered her plea as he started to drag her away from this in the first place…  
  
something about a spirit…  
  
  
  
Temichica jumped back a bit, gloating over the enemy's blood on her borrowed weapon.  
  
She was only able to start a bit, as Clow suddenly swung his staff in a wide arc, hitting  
  
her hard on the side and slamming her into an ancient tree over hanging the lake.  
  
  
  
'That's enough!' thought Yue as he dove down and caught Temichica before she hit the  
  
ground. He flew upwards, dodging streaks of power that the mage sent after them.  
  
  
  
He let out a flabbergasted growl. They needed to get out of there, but they couldn't go  
  
anywhere with Clow in the way. He chose to perform a dangerous gamble, in order to  
  
give them a window of escape. He found himself regretting telling his brother to not  
  
come with him, but there was not much he could do about it now.  
  
  
  
He whipped around, and with a mighty heave, he tossed Temichica into the air, causing  
  
his still stunned sister to let out a stream of alarmed gabble (mostly cussing) in several  
  
languages, which he ignored. Yue swiftly formed his bow and arrow, and took aim.  
  
Clow, who was as surprised as Temichica at Yue's antics, never knew what was coming  
  
until the arrow was only a mere few feet away. Clow swiftly brought up his defenses,  
  
quick enough to avoid the arrow piercing him, but not quick enough to cushion the force  
  
that came with the missile. The pressure threw him violently back, smacking his head  
  
hard against a boulder behind him. He slumped limply to the ground, his world spinning  
  
and darkened.  
  
  
  
Yue's thoughts: 'Perfect, now's the time to find Cerberus and get out of this godforsaken  
  
place…'  
  
  
  
Temichica's thoughts: 'Perfect, now's the time to get that spirit away from this creep…'  
  
  
  
Thus, it was no surprise that the two split into two directions, Yue noticing sooner than  
  
his determined imouto, causing him to holler, once again, after her. Suddenly, Temichica  
  
didn't feel so good.  
  
  
  
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!?! THE MAN'S DEAD, ALREADY!!!!!!"  
  
  
  
"HE'S NOT DEAD, BAKA! And that's not the goal!"  
  
  
  
Temichica was beginning to DEFINITELY not feel so good…  
  
  
  
"This is really not the time to be discussing goals!"  
  
  
  
"It is when-' And, the argument would have continued, had it not been, that Temichica  
  
REALLY did NOT feel good at all. She groaned a bit, her hovering wavered, as her  
  
mind began reel, and a massive sluggishness clung to her muscles.  
  
  
  
Yue caught the sight of Clow slowly coming to, and grabbed Temichica's arm firmly and  
  
unshakably. He was surprised at the lack of resistance she showed, and was even more  
  
surprised and alarmed when he saw the normally intense eyes pale and glaze over.  
  
Fighting the urge to panic, he pulled her up closer to guide her flight path.  
  
"Just keep your wings open, Temichica, focus on that, just keep your wings open, I'll take  
  
care of the rest..." he muttered,  struggling to not let the fear that he felt creep into his  
  
tone.  
  
He flew across the lake, half carrying the drained Temichica. He heard flap of wings  
  
behind him, and snapped his head around…and saw Cerberus, with Marin draped over  
  
his back. They exchanged a nod, and focused on finding somewhere safe…  
  
  
  
PaRdOn ThE PaRoDy:  
  
Chapter 7: Futile Search  
  
Take 1:  
  
Marin: Is there any chance for survivors ?  
  
Mitsukake: I'm afraid it's highly unlikely at- O_O HIT THE DECK!!!!!! *debris starts  
  
flying*  
  
Mateem: CUT!!! CERBERUS! YOU'RE EARLY! Clow, we need to borrow Bubbles so he's clean  
  
for the next take…  
  
  
  
Take 3:  
  
Yue: *walking up, bouncing stuff off using shield then-* (SHOOMPH!!!) EEEEELLLPPP!!! PHET PHIS PHIS UFF MEEE!!! *staggering around with cauldron on head*  
  
Temichica: AND NOW! Straight from China, the newest rave look! POTHEAD!!! *joins the other members of the cast trying to get it off*  
  
Mateem: *shaking with laugher* C-C-uuu-uuu-tt…  
  
  
  
Take 6:  
  
Syaoran (playing a townsperson): I say we kill the bastard before he causes any more  
  
damage! Like certain reincarnations!!!  
  
Mateem: CUT! Li, work with me here! Stay to the script for crying out loud!  
  
Syaoran: The thanks I get for trying to warn the world… *glares at Eriol, offstage*  
  
Eriol: ^_^  
  
  
  
Take 7:  
  
Syaoran: I say we kill the bastard before he causes any more damage!  
  
Temi: Novel idea, folks, but it'd be nice to know where to pound the stake, ne?  
  
Clow: CCCCCCUUUUUUUUUUUTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!! T_____T  
  
Mateem: *smacks him with her megaphone* Only 'I' may say that!!! Temi, sweetheart,  
  
I've said this before: Clow may dress in black, have black hair, be incredibly pale, and suck the life out of others- *avoids a projectile from Clow*- but he's NOT a vampire!  
  
Temi: How can you be so sure?! How come he never shows his teeth?! Huh?! Huh?! *not  
  
noticing Clow looming behind her*  
  
Clow: *hisses and goes for her neck, causing her to scream bloody murder and cling to  
  
the ceiling* Hot houu!!!! *laughs and takes out fake fangs*  
  
Mateem: -______- I can't handle this now…goes off for an emergency appointment with  
  
her psychotherapist* 


	17. While We're Wide Awake

A/N: Of all the times I actually start working on my writing again, it's when I'm back in school. ^_^; NEways, let's get this thing over already!

Temi, Clow, and Marin: *have been unconscious for a few months now…* Yes, LET'S! -__-

~*~*~*~*~

Clow stalked in his house, his torn and bloodied robes replaced by a simple white robe tied at the waist. However his torn and bloodied pride remained, seething under his bruised frame.

At this point, his was seriously considering simply destroying their souls and leaving the remaining shells of their bodies, but…it hardly seemed fair, and would defeat the part of purpose of acquiring them, especially the oldest.

"They are innocents," whispered his conscience. 

"Yes," he answered himself, "Innocents that posses great power, and know precisely what to do with it." He had no doubt he wasn't the first one to attempt to tame them. "Correction," he murmured, "To _catch_ them in the first place." They have their wits about them he had to admit. 

Simply acquiring the shells of their bodies would take away that brainpower. Therefore, his original plan would remain. He'd catch them and alter their memories, leaving them thinking that he had created them, and would look upon him as a father, and the oldest, hopefully, a lover.  But he was swiftly running out of time.

Stepping into his study, he settled into his chair and focused on locating his opponents and the witch.

~*~*~*~*~

"A stream bank again? I know you're under pressure Yue, but-" 

"But what, Cerberus?" Yue growled as he set Temichica down on the water's edge. "Water will give energy enough energy to wake her back up, and this sure as hell beats making a stop at the lake."

"Yeah, yeah, right. But as I recall, the freak found us _in the first place_ by this stream. Surely there's somewhere safer? Or at least not jinxed?"

"I doubt anywhere is safe at this point, Cerberus," muttered Yue, cupping water in his hands. Cerberus took the hint and stood watch at the edge of the clearing, Marin still slumped on his back, lest they need a quick escape, while Yue poured water down his sister's throat.

~*~*~*~*~

Clow reached across the town with his magic, seeking out the group. He frowned, his eyes opening, upon not finding them. Surely they had made it back there by now. Unless they had no intention of not returning there in the first place. Closing his eyes once again, he began to sweep across the land, starting from the town and coming back towards the lake.

It wasn't until he searched a stream, the very same one he had first observed the creatures up close, that he encountered their auras, Marin's and Temichica's dim and weak, but Yue's and Cerberus' still strong. His eyes flashed open and he rose and left the study.

~*~*~*~*~

Cerberus really didn't know at first what made him jump and send his fur on end. It felt like an electric chill, not unlike the little 'shocks' that Temichica would give him when she was bored, just to see him jump. But this was different, much more sinister. Yue felt it too. A presence. Coming closer and stronger every second. One that he had come to dread. 

"Kuso…" The lion growled darkly. Yue remained frozen in place, dread and fear rising in him. They already had a small chance against him all together. With half out, they didn't have a prayer. He was about to gather Temichica and vouch for flight, as the aura seemed to be nearly on top of them, when a loud spluttering erupted from below. 

He looked down into Temichica's open (and indignant) eyes, realizing that he kept pouring water down her mouth while distracted. 

"_WHAT IN ALL THE HELLS_!?" She hollered and leapt to her feet, suddenly speaking in the tongue from whence her brother's name came from.  "Has my rescue been for naught and Clow already poisoned your mind with thoughts of killing me?" 

The brothers were temporarily stunned by Temichica's rare use of the Greek language, but then swiftly gained their tongues due to the current situation. 

"Quiet Temi!" snapped Cerberus, "That bastard's right…here-" he stopped, realizing that the presence was completely gone. 

"What? CLOW'S HERE?!" she demanded, whipping her head back and forth, only to start swaying and her eyes sliding out of focus. Yue stepped forward and caught her before she could stumble.

"You are welcome to attempt to kill him again, Temichica, but you're having this small issue with passing out," replied Yue condescendingly. "Drink up," He pointed to the stream.

"Nuh-uh… unbelievably sick of water…" She began, before blacking out slightly, her ears buzzing. "Then again…I'm even more sick of passing out." Flopping to her knees, she started to scoop water greedily into her mouth. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

Marin slowly, painfully slowly, came back to consciousness. Her eyes slid open to the familiar sights of her living room ceiling and the sounds of running water, and the gentle murmur of recently familiar voices. 

"You're doing it wrong, Yue! That's salt, not sugar!"

"And your point would be?"

"Yer makin it taste nasty!!! UGH! I can't bear to watch…"

"For crying out loud, Cerberus, it's broth!" growled Temichica's voice, not far from her.

"Exactly! There's no way she's gonna like it if it's all salty! You need sweet things to feel better!"

"Only if you have an insatiable sweet tooth, which, thank the gods, nobody else here has," Yue retorted. Marin whispered a silent thanks to what ever god was watching over her that Yue was returned safely.

Temichica's tired face swam into Marin's field of vision. "Well, well! You woke up, and Yue didn't even hafta kiss you!"

"Temichica!!! I am, most certainly, NOT some prince kissing random damsels!"

"Yeah Temi! After all, everybody knows the real ladies killer is me." 

Three dubious looks were cast in the lion's direction.

"… what!?"

Three sets of eyes rolled. 

Yue walked over to the sorceress' side, while, with Temichica's help, she propped herself up into a vertical position on the couch. She groaned, and her head sank to her chest, as if it had become too heavy to lift it. The silver haired being tentatively set down a bowl of broth in front of Marin. "Would this help?" Marin brought her head up and nodded her accent. 

"Will it restore your power?" asked a hopeful Temichica.

"I'm afraid time is the only cure to my current weakness," Marin replied regretfully, sipping on a saucer-full of the both, cooled. "What about you, Temichica-san? Your eyes are dull, and I've never seen you sit this still before."

"Lucky… I wish I could simply restore myself…" 

"Temi and us can't restore our own power," Cerberus took the liberty of explaining, at Marin's perplexed expression. "We hafta draw it from somewhere. Me, the Sun, Yue, the Moon. And Temichica… she is less… strict. You see, she is of the Storm. And Storm is comprised of many elements, winds, water, lightning; she can receive a little jolt of power just from a soft breeze, or a sip of water. However… when her sources are this depleted…" Cerberus cast a worried look at his sister as she sat, her eyes growing heavy lidded, her head tilting forward. "She needs a storm. Not one of those cute lil puff clouds, but a HUGE storm. The kind that causes damage."

Yue gave her a cup full of water, and Temichica let out a tiny whine, glaring derisively at the translucent liquid. She already sloshed whenever she moved. Yue folded his arms and stared icily at her, until at last, the cat creature caved in and forced the water down. "It's no fair that you got Mamma's eyes," she grumped. She could never withstand that look, whether it came from her brother or her late mother, it was the same pair of sharp, cold, violet eyes that had the ability to make you feel like your blood froze your veins, when they held anger in them.  

Marin's voice broke through her pout. "The monsoon season is going strongly southward, if you could make it…" 

"_What_?" The three's voices chimed in unison. 

"But-Clow-!" spoke up the lion.

"This is our battle to fight, we've already asked too much of you as it is," Marin replied, more force building behind her voice. "As a result, your sister is gravely low on power. Go, get her to the monsoons so she may be revived."

All three stared silently at the sorceress, as the nameless force that surfaced disappeared again, leaving her sinking into the cushions. Yue was the first to break the silence. 

"Come, Temichica. It is time we headed south. Cerberus-"

"Stay" they tolled at once. "Yeah, yeah, I know when I'm not wanted."

Temichica stood unsteadily. "Before we leave, I'm gonna need one minute to relieve myself……… or ten, thanks to you, Yue." 

~*~*~*~*~*~

Through the pool on the floor in the dark room, Clow watched as Yue and Temichica took flight, headed dead south. 'So, the wild one needs her power restored, ne? That doesn't fit too well with my plans, not at all.' The frown on his face suddenly turned to a sinister smile. 'Every time one encounters a problem, they encounter opportunity…'

As much as he wished to pursue Yue, he chose let the angel come to him, and in the meantime, he would take advantage of the absence of two out of the three town's protectors. Of course, the creature would not gain back energy. He would make sure of that.  

 He turned away from the pool and shut his eyes in concentration. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

Far off in Hong Kong, a fortuneteller shut and locked the front door of her home. Strolling past the well that she told fortunes upon, she sighed in relief, glad that the day was finally over. People can be such an exhausting nuisance sometimes…  She sat underneath her favorite tree in the garden that surrounded the well, and shut her eyes. She started when a familiar voice spoke, not to her, but inside of her.

"Madoushi…"

~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N: Dundundunduuuunnn!!! Meeeheheheheeeee!!! XD Now that's a cliffhanger. Muahahahaa!!!

Madoushi: *walks in* What the-!? Where am I??? What am I doing here?!

Mateem: Allos! I'm Mateem Bluewing, I'll be your author for this fic, how may I torture you? XD

Madoushi: Oh, gods, not another one. *slides behind Clow*

Yue: Welcome to my world. -_-

Mateem: No character in the history of Cardcaptor Sakura shall go unscathed from this!!! AHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!! XD 

Clow: --;

Madoushi: --;

Yue: --; Roll the outtakes.

PaRdOn ThE PaRoDy

Chapter 8: Falling Down, Pulled Down

Take 1:

Mateem: Alright, folks, quiet on the set! We don't want them falling on anyone, Clow, you sure you got the Float?! Good! Just checking! All right everyone! Lights, camera, acti- TEMI, KERO, AND YUE, GET THOSE HELMETS OFF NOW!!! 

All: Hell no!

Kero: Not until we get some stunt doubles!!!

Clow: Your faith in me is overwhelming. *Float cries*

Mateem: Today… is gonna be one of those days…

Take 7: 

*all fall into a pile after being suspended* 

Yue: AAAAAUUUUGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!! Back! Back! Oh, #@&* my back!!!!!! 

Mateem: *sighs speed dials their personal paramedics unit* Hm? *looks out at readers* Oh, no I'm not that rich, the hospital designated it to us out of necessity… *greets the guys carrying the stretcher over* (It's Yue again) and pity…

Take: 15:

*Cerberus runs to shove Marin onto his back and trips along the way*

Take 16:

*Cerberus runs and jumps over Marin, making her scream and run out a second before he hits the ground where she was*

Marin: That was NOT funny! 

Cerberus: *attempting to say 'I'm sorry' while laughing his tail off and clutching his sides*

Take 21:

*Temi tries to stop Clow, and succeeds, landing them all in a dog pile* 

Mateem: You started out too soon, Temi! Cerberus, don't laugh yourself into a seizure this time.

Take 22: 

*After Yue and Clow have disappeared*

Cerberus: *sings* Ding-dong, the witch is dead! The witch is- *Yue reappears and hits him with Insanely Huge Mallet* X_X Owww…


End file.
